Dehydrator



H.- F. FISHER b EHYDRATon dngmal Filed Aug. so, 192e Degas, 1931.

Patented Dec. 29, 19131 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFlcE HARMON F. FISHER, OF LONG BEACH, CALIORNIA, ASSIGNOB TO PETROLEUM RECTIFY- ING COMPANY OF CALIFORNIA, 0F LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION OF CALIFORNIA DEHYDRATOR Application led August 30, 1926, Serial No. 132,374. Renewed January 3.1, 1930.

an improved form of dehydratortfor accomplishing this agglomeration.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be made evident hereinafter.

Referring to the drawings which is for illustrative purposes only,

F ig. 1 is an elevation through a preferred form of dehydrator embodying my invention. j

Fig. 2 is a section taken -on `a plane represented by the line 2 2l of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a diagrammaticv view of the electrical action taking place in the dehydrator.

In the form of the invention shown, 10 is a tank having a tight bottom v1l and a tight top 12. Supported on the bottom llfis a grounded electrode 13 which carries a series of annular shelves 14 projecting outwardl therefrom. Suspended by means of electri- AJcal insulators 15 from the top 12 is a live elecupper shel deflector 20a'l is provided for directing the trode 16 having inwardly projecting annular shelves 17 The shelves 14 and 17 are covered with a material 18 which has a selective affinity for water over oil. This material may be plaster. of Paris or the like, and it is initially wetted with water and remains water-saturated during the operation of the treater so thatit is highly conducting. Y

The emulsion to be treated is introduced through a pipe 20 into the space between the 14 and the live electrode 16. A

emulsion outwardly along the upper face of the upper shelf. A mixing valve 21 is provided having a nozzle 22 through` which the emulsion to be treated may be introduced, the flow of this emulsion being controlled by a valve 23. Wet oil or water or any other suitable electrolyte 'may be delivered, through a pipe 24 having a valve 25, into the valve 21 about the nozzle 20, the pipe 24 connecting into the tank 10 near the bottom thereof. Water removed from the emulsion and whatever electrolyte is used may be withdrawn from the bottom of the tank 10 throughl a pipe 26 having a valve 27, and clean oilV may be withdrawn from the extreme top `of the dehydrator through a pipe 28. An insulator 30 has a central conductor 31, the conductor 31 being connected to the live electrode 16 inside the tank and bein lconnected outside thetank to one termina 32 of the high tension secondary of a. transformer 33,` the other terminal of this secondary being connected through a wire 34 with the tank 10 which is electrically connected to the grounded electrode 13. The transformer 33 is supplied with current from any convenient source (not shown).

The method of operation of the invention l is as follows:

The dehydratsr being sued with ou which has a Vvery high electrical resistance,

full potential may be carried on the second- V ary of the transformer 33 without substantial current flow. The lowr portion of the tank is filled with water which is preferably alkaline, but may be any other'suitable elec-` trolyte. The emulsion to be treated is introduced into the electric e'ld between. the live electrode 16 and the grounded electrode 13 through thepipe 20. .If the emulsion tokbe treated contains only a very small proportion of water, say, five orl six per cent, it is desirable to open the valve 25 and to mix with the emulsion large particles of electrolyte,

which in this application is free water, which are delivered with the emulsion through the pipe 20 ninto the electric field; In the electric field a 'constant agglomeration of the water particles takes place, these partlcles tendln to settle and come in contact with the materia 18 on the top of the shelves 14 and 17. An`

enlarged view of these shelves is shown in Fig. 3 and drops of water 40, 41, 42, 43 and 44 are shown. The drops of water 40 and 41 are falling towards the surface material 18,

which is highly conducting, and the drop 42 is actually in contact with this material. The surface material 18 has a high affinity for water and this causes the water particles to cling to this material when they come in contact therewith. Thus, any electrical potential produces an electrical stress, this stress producing a force which tends to move Water particles along the surface of the material 18 toward the edge of the annular shelves. Due to the narrow edge presented by the shelves 14 and 17, there is an electric blast produced which tends to force the water drops in contact with the electrodes 13 and 16 in the direction of the arrow 50, that is to say, towards the edge of the shelves 14 and 17. This action is the same on both of these shelves, but in Fig. 3 the action taking place on the shelf 17 is shown. Due to the electric blast, the drop 42, which is in electrical-contact with the shelf 17 through the surface material 18, is forced into the position shown at 43 on the edge of lthe shelf 'and is broken away from the shelf,

in some cases being separated into a plurality of smallergdrops as shown at 44. This action takes place towards the grounded electrode 13 and the drops 44 leavin g the live electrode 17 are charged with the potential of the live electrode at the instant of their separation. These drops may, therefore, have either positive or negative charges, and the space in the electric field is rapidly filled with these charged drops which tend to exert an attraction on uncharged drops .and upon drops of opposite polarity, thus promoting rapid agglomeration of the water particles. It will be noted that this action takes place repeatedly, since the drops of water agglomerated from each of the fields fall upon the next lower shelf 17 and are in turn broken v off the edge thereof. It will further be noted that the characteristics of the emulsion introduced can be controlled within limits by manipulating the valves 23 and 25.

I prefer to provide a vent 7 in the top of the live electrode 16 through I hich clean oil can escape into the tank, it being obvious that the agglomerated water falling from shelf to shelf iin ally leaves the last of the shelves 17 hydrator adjacent to said electrodes so that said coarse water particles are delivered to said surfaces in such a manner that they' are violently projected from said edges by said concentrated field.

2. In an electrical 4dehydrator, the combination of: a tank; a live electrode supported in said tank; a grounded electrode extending adjacent Isaid live electrode, said live and grounded electrodes having inter-spaced annular shelves thereon, there beinga treating space between said electrodes; a covering for each of said shelves, -said covering having a selective ainity for water over oil; and means for delivering a mixture of an emulsion and another liquid to the upper shelf, said mixture moving through said treating space and being bombarded by particles of said liquid projected from said shelves.

3. In an electrical dehydrator the combination of: an electrode terminating in a sharp edge; another electrode spaced from said first-named electrode and cooperating therewith in providing an electric field; means for introducing coarse liquid particles into the emulsion to be treated; means for introducing the mixture into said electric field; and a iding surface on said one of said electro es terminating in said sharp edge and having an affinity for said liquid particles introduced into said emulsion whereby said liquid articles move along said surface toward sai edge and are violently projected therefrom due tothe intense field there set up.

In testimon whereof, I have hereunto` set my hand at osl Angeles, California, this 24th day of August, 1926.

HARMON F. FISHER.

and is delivered into the bottom of the tank 5 from which it may be withdrawn through the pipe 26 by manipulation of the valve 27.

Certain of the broader aspects of the present invention are shown and claimed in my co- ;Siending application, Serial'No. 135,804, filed eptember 16, 1926.

I claim as my invention:

1. In an electrical dehydrator the combination of: electrodes having surfaces which have 'a selective aiiinit'y for water over oil and which terminate in sharp edges at which there is a concentrated electric field; means for introducing coarse water particles into the emulsion to be treated; and vvmeans for introducing the-` mixture into said de 

